Dictionary of Human Resources and Personnel Management Specialist dictionaries Dictionary of Accounting 7475 6991 Dictionary of Aviation 7475 7219 Dictionary of Banking and Finance 7136 7739 Dictionary of Business 7136 7913 Dictionary of Computing 7475 6622 Dictionary of Economics 7475 6632 Dictionary of Environment and Ecology 7475 7201 Dictionary of ICT 7475 6990 Dictionary of Information and Library Management 7136 7591 Dictionary of Law 7475 6636 Dictionary of Leisure, Travel and Tourism 7475 7222 Dictionary of Marketing 7475 6621 Dictionary of Media Studies 7136 7593 Dictionary of Medical Terms 7136 7603 Dictionary of Nursing 7475 6634 Dictionary of Politics and Government 7475 7220 Dictionary of Publishing and Printing 7136 7589 Dictionary of Science and Technology 7475 6620 Easier English™ titles Easier English Basic Dictionary 7475 6644 Easier English Basic Synonyms 7475 6979 Easier English Dictionary: Handy Pocket Edition 7475 6625 Easier English Intermediate Dictionary 7475 6989 Easier English Student Dictionary 7475 6624 English Thesaurus for Students 9016 5931 Check Your English Vocabulary workbooks Academic English 7475 6691 Business 7475 6626 Computing 9016 5928 Human Resources 7475 6997 Law 7136 7592 Leisure, Travel and Tourism 7475 6996 FCE + 7475 6981 IELTS 7136 7604 PET 7475 6627 TOEFL® 7475 6984 TOEIC 7136 7508 X Visit our website for full details of all our books: www.acblack.com Dictionary of Human Resources and Personnel Management third edition A & C Black ț London www.acblack.com Third edition publshed 2003, reprinted 2006 Second edition 1997, reprinted 1998 First edition published in 1988 as Dictionary of Personnel Management A & C Black Publishers Ltd 38 Soho Square, London W1D 3HB © A Ivanovic MBA & P H Collin 1988, 1997 © A & C Black Publishers Ltd 2006 All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the permission of the publishers A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library eISBN-13: 978-1-4081-0217-6 Text Production and Proofreading Heather Bateman, Katy McAdam A & C Black uses paper produced with elemental chlorine-free pulp, harvested from managed sustainable forests Text typeset by A & C Black Printed in Italy by Legoprint Preface This dictionary provides the user with a comprehensive vocabulary of terms used in human resource management It covers all aspects of the subject including recruitment and selection, appraisals, payment systems, dismissals and other aspects of industrial relations The main words are explained in simple English, and pronunciations are given in the International Phonetic Alphabet Where appropriate, examples are included to show how the words are used in context Quotations are also given from various magazines and newspapers, which give an idea of how the terms are used in real life The supplement at the back of the book gives various documents which provide useful guidelines as to how a company’s own documents can be constructed We are grateful to the following for their valuable comments on the text: Dena Michelli, Michael Furlong, Yvonne Quinn, Stephen Curtis, Margaret Jull Costa, Georgia Hole, Dinah Jackson and Sandra Anderson Pronunciation Guide The following symbols have been used to show the pronunciation of the main words in the dictionary Stress is indicated by a main stress mark ( ) and a secondary stress mark ( ) Note that these are only guides, as the stress of the word changes according to its position in the sentence Vowels ɑ ɒ a aυ aə aυə ɔ ɔ e eə e eυ i i ə ə u u υ υə back harm stop type how hire hour course annoy head fair make go word keep happy about fit near annual pool book tour shut Consonants b d ð d f h j k l m n ŋ p r s ʃ t tʃ θ v w x z buck dead other jump fare gold head yellow cab leave mix nil sing print rest save shop take change theft value work loch measure zone AA acceptance bonus A AA / e e/ same as attendance absenteeism ć Absenteeism is high in the week before Christmas ability /ə blti/ noun the capacity or power to something ć Ability to sell is essential for the job ‘…but the reforms still hadn’t fundamentally changed conditions on the shop floor: absenteeism was as high as 20% on some days’ [Business Week] ability test /ə blti test/ noun same rate / bsənti z(ə)m ret/ noun the percentage of the workforce which is away from work with no good excuse ć The rate of absenteeism or the absenteeism rate always increases in fine weather ACAS / ek s/ abbr Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service accept /ək sept/ verb to take something which is being offered ˽ to accept delivery of a shipment to take goods into the warehouse officially when they are delivered to say ‘yes’ or to agree to something ć She accepted the offer of a job in Australia ć He accepted £2000 in lieu of notice acceptable /ək septəb(ə)l/ adjective which can be accepted ć Both parties found the offer acceptable ć The terms of the contract of employment are not acceptable to the candidate acceptance /ək septəns/ noun ˽ acceptance of an offer the act of agreeing to an offer ˽ to give an offer a conditional acceptance to accept an offer provided that specific things happen or that specific terms apply ˽ we have their letter of acceptance we have received a letter from them accepting the offer acceptance bonus /ək septəns bəυnəs/ noun a bonus paid to a new employee when they agree to join an organisation (NOTE: an acceptance bonus allowance as aptitude test able / eb(ə)l/ adjective capable or working well ć She’s a very able manager able-bodied / eb(ə)l bɒdid/ adjec- tive with no physical handicap ć The work is strenuous and only suitable for the young and able-bodied abroad /ə brɔ d/ adverb to or in another country ć The consignment of cars was shipped abroad last week ć The chairman is abroad on business ć He worked abroad for ten years ć Half of our profit comes from sales abroad absence / bsəns/ noun the fact of not being at work or at a meeting ˽ in the absence of when someone is not there ć In the absence of the chairman, his deputy took the chair ˽ unauthorised absence from work, absence without leave being away from work without permission and without a good reason absent / bsənt/ adjective not at work or not at a meeting ć He was absent owing to illness ć Ten of the workers are absent with flu ć The chairman is absent in Holland on business absentee / bsən ti / noun a person who is absent or an employee who stays away from work for no good reason / bs(ə)n ti z(ə)m/ noun the practice of staying away from work for no good reason ć Low productivity is largely due to the high level of absenteeism absenteeism can be a feature of a golden hello and is designed both to attract and to retain staff) acceptance sampling acceptance sampling /ək septəns sɑ mplŋ/ noun the process of testing a small sample of a batch to see if the whole batch is good enough to be accepted access / kses/ noun ˽ to have access to something to be able to obtain or reach something ć She has access to large amounts of venture capital í verb to call up data which is stored in a computer ć She accessed the address file on the computer accession /ək seʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of joining an organisation accession rate /ək seʃ(ə)n ret/ noun the percentage of employees in an organisation who have joined it during a particular period of time a rate of pay for employees when first hired ć After the first year, pay went up considerably despite the low accession rate ć The accession rate depends on whether the entrants are skilled or unskilled access time / kses tam/ noun the time taken by a computer to find data stored in it accident / ksd(ə)nt/ noun something unpleasant which can be caused by carelessness or which happens by chance such as a plane crash COMMENT: Fatal accidents and accidents which cause major injuries or which prevent an employee from working for more than three days must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive accidental / ks dent(ə)l/ adjective happening by chance, not done intentionally ć accidental destruction of the computer files accident book / ksd(ə)nt bυk/ noun a book in which details of accidents at work are noted down accident frequency rate / ksd(ə)nt fri kwənsi ret/ noun the number of accidents involving injury or death during a specified number of man-hours ć The accident frequency rate has risen since the new machinery was installed accident prevention / ksd(ə)nt pr venʃən/ noun measures taken to prevent accidents account accident-prone worker ksd(ə)nt prəυn w kə/ noun a worker who is more likely to have accidents than other workers accident report / ksd(ə)nt rpɔ t/ noun a report of an accident which has taken place at work accommodate /ə kɒmədet/ verb to provide someone with a place to live in ć The company accommodates its employees near their workplace accommodation /ə kɒmə deʃ(ə)n/ noun money lent for a short time a place to stay temporarily or live in ć Visitors have difficulty in finding hotel accommodation during the summer / ‘…any non-resident private landlord can let furnished or unfurnished accommodation to a tenant’ [Times] ‘…the airline providing roomy accommodations at below-average fares’ [Dun’s Business Month] address /əkɒmə deʃ(ə)n ə dres/ noun an address used for receiving messages but which is not the real address of the company accordance /ə kɔ dns/ noun ˽ in accordance with in agreement with, according to, as someone says or writes ć In accordance with your instructions we have deposited the money in your current account ć I am submitting the claim for damages in accordance with the advice of our legal advisers accordingly /ə kɔ dŋli/ adverb in agreement with what has been decided ć We have received your letter and have altered the contract accordingly according to /ə kɔ dŋ tu / preposition as stated or shown by someone ć The computer was installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions accommodation ‘…the budget targets for employment and growth are within reach according to the latest figures’ [Australian Financial Review] account /ə kaυnt/ noun a record of financial transactions over a period of time, such as money paid, received, borrowed or owed ć Please send me your account or a detailed or an itemized account ˽ accounts of a business, a company’s accounts a detailed record of a company’s financial affairs a customer who does a large amount of accountability business with a firm and has an account with it ć Smith Brothers is one of our largest accounts ć Our sales people call on their best accounts twice a month ˽ to keep the accounts to write each sum of money in the account book ć The bookkeeper’s job is to enter all the money received in the accounts notice ˽ to take account of inflation, to take inflation into account to assume that there will be a specific percentage of inflation when making calculations í verb ˽ to account for to explain and record a money transaction ć to account for a loss or a discrepancy ć The reps have to account for all their expenses to the sales manager accountability /ə kaυntə blti/ noun the fact of being responsible to someone for something (such as the accountability of directors to the shareholders) accountable /ə kaυntəb(ə)l/ adjective referring to a person who has to explain what has taken place or who is responsible for something (NOTE: you are accountable to someone for something) accountancy /ə kaυntənsi/ noun the work of an accountant ć They are studying accountancy or They are accountancy students (NOTE: American English is accounting in this meaning) accountant /ə kaυntənt/ noun a per- son who keeps a company’s accounts ć The chief accountant of a manufacturing group ć The accountant has shown a sharp variance in our labour costs account director /ə kaυnt darektə/ noun a person who works in an advertising agency and who oversees various account managers who are each responsible for specific clients account executive /ə kaυnt zekjυtv/ noun an employee of an organisation such as a bank, public relations firm, or advertising agency who is responsible for looking after particular clients and handling their business with the organisation accounting /ə kaυntŋ/ noun the work of recording money paid, received, borrowed or owed ć accounting methods ć accounting procedures ć an accrue accounting system ć an accounting machine ‘…applicants will be professionally qualified and have a degree in Commerce or Accounting’ [Australian Financial Review] period /ə kaυntŋ pəriəd/ noun a period of time at the end of which the firm’s accounts are made up accounts department /ə kaυnts d pɑ tmənt/ noun a department in a company which deals with money paid, received, borrowed or owed accounts manager /ə kaυnts m nd ə/ noun the manager of an accounts department accounts payable /ə kaυnts peəb(ə)l/ noun money owed by a company accounts receivable /ə kaυnts rsi vəb(ə)l/ noun money owed to a company accreditation /ə kred teʃ(ə)n/ noun the process of certifying the competence of a person in a certain area ˽ accreditation of union officials official recognition by a company that certain employees are representatives of a trade union and are treated as such by the company accounting accreditation of prior learning /əkred teʃ(ə)n əv praə l nŋ/ noun a process that enables people to obtain formal recognition of qualifications and experience that they have gained before joining an organisation (NOTE: accreditation of prior learning may be used to support the award of a vocational qualification) accredited /ə kredtd/ adjective re- ferring to an agent who is appointed by a company to act on its behalf accrual /ə kru əl/ noun a gradual increase by addition ˽ accrual of interest automatic addition of interest to capital accrual rate /ə kru əl ret/ noun the rate at which an employee’s pension increases as each year of service is completed, so forming the basis for calculating their pension accrue /ə kru / verb to record a financial transaction in accounts when it takes place, and not when payment is Job Description Template Job Description Job Title: Production Manager Location: Ealing Branch Reports to: Production Manager, Head Office Job Purpose Summary: To supervise the work of the production department Key Responsibilities: To agree product specifications with sales departments and time schedules with stock control department To ensure product is manufactured according to agreed specifications and within time schedules To ensure quality of finished product To negotiate with suppliers To supervise on-the-job training for staff and trainees Responsible for Managing: sub-manager 10 machinists trainees cleaners equipment valued at £2,000,000 Job Application Form Template Job Application Form Application for employment as: Surname: Address: Other names: Contact Details Home Telephone: Mobile: Work Telephone: Email: Education and Training Schools attended since age 11: Examinations taken with results: Diplomas, degrees, qualifications: Employment History Present employer: Name: Address: Previous employers (most recent first): Name: Name: Address: Address: Job title: Duties: Job title: Duties: Job Title: Duties: Pay/Salary: Dates of employment: From: To: Reason for leaving: Pay/Salary: Dates of employment: From: To: Reason for leaving: Pay/Salary: Dates of employment: From: To: Reason for leaving: Referees Please give the names of two people who can give an assessment of your suitability for this job (one of whom should be your present employer) Name: Name: Name of organisation: Name of organisation: Address: Address: Contact Tel No (work/mob): Contact Tel No (work/mob): Email: Email: No approach will be made to your present employer before an offer of employment is made to you Sickness/Absence If you have had an illness in the last two years which has caused you absence from work, please give details with the number of days you were absent I confirm that the above information is correct to the best of my knowledge I accept that deliberately providing false information could result in my dismissal Signed: Date: Invitation to Interview Template Mr A Smith 30 Swallow Cottages London SW1 2AB 17th August, 200_ Dear Mr Smith, PRODUCTION MANAGER Thank you for your application for the above post We would like you to come for a preliminary interview with our Production Director The interviews will be held at our offices on 29th and 30th August Can you phone me to arrange a suitable time on one of those days? The interview should last about 30 minutes If you have any special needs, especially concerning access, please let us know in advance Yours sincerely Andrea Black HR Manager Letter of Reference Template A Black HR Manager [Name of company] [Town] [Post code] 25th August, 2000_ Dear Ms Black, Mr Alan John SMITH I have known Alan Smith since 1999 He came to work for this company as a Trainee in the Production Department, and rapidly moved up the scale to become Deputy Production Manager three years ago He is a very able manager, and is particularly keen on keeping up to date with new technology He has been responsible for introducing new production techniques in several areas of our work He has always got on well with other members of staff, although he is quick to point out mistakes in his department’s work and is keen on good timekeeping He is particularly good with trainees, as a result of which he has over the past few years built up a very efficient young workforce During his time with us, Alan has been an enthusiastic member of the Staff Sports Club, of which he is treasurer We shall be sorry to see him leave us, but I know that he is looking for a more challenging position Yours sincerely J Jones Production Director [NB It is becoming more common for employers simply to confirm dates of employment in a letter of reference and to give very little other information] Letter of Appointment Template Mr A Smith 30 Swallow Cottages London SW1 2AB 6th September, 200_ Dear Mr Smith, Following your interview and our conversation yesterday, this letter is to confirm your appointment as Production Manager This letter and the attached terms and conditions form the basis of your contract of employment Congratulations on your appointment You will, I am sure, find a very pleasant working environment here, and we look forward to seeing you as a member of our team When you arrive for work next week, please ask for Andrea Black in the HR Department In the meantime, if you have any queries please don’t hesitate to call me on extension 2340 Yours sincerely John Brown Production Director Short Contract Template Terms and Conditions of Employment Name of Employer: Name of Employee: Job Title: Job Description: Job Location: Salary: £ per annum (payable weekly in arrears) Starting Date: Hours of Work: 9.15am - 5.45pm Monday to Friday, 1hr lunch Overtime: You will/will not be paid overtime Holiday Entitlement: 20 days per annum For the year ending 31st December 200_ the holiday entitlement is days (calculated at a rate of 1.7 days per month worked) Absence from work: If for any reason you cannot come to work you should telephone your manager as soon as possible on the first day of absence Pension Scheme The company does/does not operate a pension scheme Details of the scheme are provided separately Disciplinary and Grievance Prodedures Information on these procedures are provided in the Staff Handbook, together with information on all company policies Probation: All appointments are subject to three months’ probation, during which time employment may be terminated with one week’s notice on either side Termination: After successful completion of the probation period, the notice period will be months References: All appointments are subject to satisfactory references Signed: Date: Staff Record Form Template PERSONNEL RECORD FORM Surname: Address: Other names: Home Number: Date of Birth: National Insurance number: Mobile Number: Marital Status: NEXT OF KIN: Address: Phone number: OCCUPATION RECORD Employment contract (date of issue): Department: Date joined: Salary: Appraisal Date: Salary changes: TRAINING RECEIVED Type of training: Date: ABSENCE From: To: Cause: ACCIDENTS Date: Type of accident: Action: DISCIPLINARY ACTION: TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT: Date: Reasons: NOTE: The Data Protection Act 1998 requires UK employers who hold personal data on computers to register with the Data Protection Registrar Computerised personal data must be available, so that, at reasonable intervals and expense, individuals can be informed about their personal data and, where appropriate, have it corrected or erased ‘Personal data’ includes not just factual information but also opinions expressed about employees Written Warning Template Mr A J Smith Production Department 15th July, 200_ Dear Mr Smith, Following the disciplinary interview which you attended on 12th June, I am writing to confirm the decision taken that you will be given a written warning under the second stage of the Company’s Disciplinary Procedure This warning will be placed in your personal record file, but will be disregarded for disciplinary purposes after a period of six months, provided your conduct reaches a satisfactory level 1) The nature of the unsatisfactory conduct was: 2) The improvement we expect is: 3) The date by which improvement is required is: The likely consequence of insufficient improvement is dismissal You have the right to appeal against this decision to the Production Director within two weeks of receiving this letter, in writing, giving your reasons Yours sincerely Manager Production Department Letter of Dismissal Mr A J Smith Production Department 2nd February, 200_ Dear Mr Smith On 12th June last year, you were informed that you would be given a written warning in accordance with the second stage of the Company’s Disciplinary Procedure In a letter of 15th July you were warned that unless your conduct improved, you were likely to be dismissed At the disciplinary hearing held on 1st February, it was decided that your performance was still unsatisfactory and that you would be dismissed I am therefore writing to confirm the decision that you be dismissed and that your last day of service with the company will be 15th February The reasons for your dismissal are: You have the right to appeal against this decision to the Production Director within seven days of receiving this notice of dismissal, in writing, giving your reasons Yours sincerely Manager Production Department Letter of Resignation Template 30 Swallow Cottages London SW1 2AB Mr J Brown Production Director 19th October, 200_ Dear John, As I told you verbally yesterday, I have decided to leave the company and this letter is to inform you of my resignation from the post of Production Manager The notice period indicated in my contract of employment is six weeks, but you agreed during our conversation yesterday that in my case this could be reduced to five weeks so as to enable me to take up the offer of another position My date for leaving the company will therefore be 23rd November inclusive of any days of holiday still remaining As I explained to you I have been very happy working here, and shall be leaving with many regrets I have however been offered a post at a substantially higher salary with another company, where the prospects of further advancement are greater It is an offer which I felt I simply could not turn down Yours sincerely Alan Smith Production Manager Acknowledgement of Resignation Template Alan Smith Production Director 20th October, 200_ Dear Alan, Thank you for your letter of the 19th October We are naturally most sorry that you should be leaving the company, but I quite understand your reasons for doing so The company you are joining has an excellent reputation, and I am sure you will be as happy there as you have been with us I have noted your date of resignation, and that your last day of service with us will be 23rd November This information has been passed to the HR Department to deal with On a personal level, Alan, I shall be particularly sorry to see you go; you have been an excellent manager as well as a friend, and I trust we will still keep in touch With best wishes for the future Yours sincerely John Brown Production Director Email & Internet Usage Policy Template Appropriate use: Computer resources belong to the Company and have been supplied for business use Limited personal use of the email facility and Internet access is, however, permitted provided that it does not interfere with work performance, that staff remember that in all their own correspondence they are representing the Company, and that Company funds are not misused Downloading Internet files: Staff are advised that accessing or downloading material from Internet sites containing unsuitable content, i.e pornography or material that may cause offence to others, is a serious breach of Internet policy and is likely to result in disciplinary action, including summary dismissal No member of staff apart from the IT Manager is permitted to download or distribute copyright information and/or software, including programme files (i.e those with an exe extension) Staff must contact the IT Manager to download text files that are not on the list of Internet sites recognised by the Company Employee privacy: Employees cannot expect any email messages composed, received or sent on the Company network, regardless of the use of personal email passwords, to be for private viewing only It may be necessary for the Company to monitor and view email correspondence and the Company reserves the right to so Employees similarly cannot expect any history of websites accessed via the Company network, regardless of the use of personal passwords, to be for private use only Complaints: Employees who feel they have cause for complaint as a result of email communication or Internet use should raise the matter initially with their immediate manager and/or the IT manager Exit Interview Form Template Name: Department: Current Position: Start Date: Leaving Date: What did you like most about your job and why? What did you like least about your job and why? How did you feel about your workload? Was the job described to you fairly when you took it on? Were your duties clearly defined? Is the current job description accurate? How you feel about the training you received? Were there opportunites for advancement? Do you have any suggestions for improving your current job? 10 Do you think the company has a good reputation as an employer? 11 Would you recommend the company as an employer to others? 12 If you are going to another job, whom will you be working for? 13 What kind of work will you be doing? 14 What were your working relationships like with your colleagues? 15 What was morale like in your department? 16 Did you feel discipline was fair in your department? If not, why not? Any other comments? Exit Interview Form Template (continued) 17 Did your immediate manager: Always Usually Seldom Never Show fair treatment? Give praise for work well done? Deal promptly with complaints/problems? Give encouragement and help when needed? Explain the job properly? Inform you of your progress? Listen to suggestions/criticisms? 18 How you feel about the pay and benefits provided? Very Good Good Fair Poor Very Good Good Fair Poor Pay for your job Holiday/Sick pay Pension Scheme Health Insurance Life Assurance Loan Facilities Educational Assistance Other 19 How you feel about other facilities/services provided? Office accommodation and equipment Health and Safety provisions First Aid Security Sports and social facilities Refreshment facilities HR services Any comments? Name: Date: ... 7739 Dictionary of Business 7136 7913 Dictionary of Computing 7475 6622 Dictionary of Economics 7475 6632 Dictionary of Environment and Ecology 7475 7201 Dictionary of ICT 7475 6990 Dictionary of. . .Dictionary of Human Resources and Personnel Management Specialist dictionaries Dictionary of Accounting 7475 6991 Dictionary of Aviation 7475 7219 Dictionary of Banking and Finance... Library Management 7136 7591 Dictionary of Law 7475 6636 Dictionary of Leisure, Travel and Tourism 7475 7222 Dictionary of Marketing 7475 6621 Dictionary of Media Studies 7136 7593 Dictionary of Medical